by Ruby Dixon
"It's none of your business." I cross my arms over my chest.
"That's where you're wrong." There's a syrupy tone to Bethiah's voice that reads as false, and when she reaches forward and straightens the cloak I'm wearing, my skin prickles and I wish Sleipnir was here. The bounty hunter's fingers curl in the fabric and she tugs me ever so slightly forward. The situation's made all the more alarming when she leans forward, her face practically in mine. "Jerrok is family. He might think he's alone, but I look out for him. And he's been hurt in the past. I don't like to see him hurting." Her mouth curves into a sweet, sweet smile. "And so I have to ask about your relationship with him, because if you hurt him? I will hunt you down and cut you into tiny little pieces."
Then, she boops my nose and leaves the room.
47
JERROK
The male in Bethiah's hold glares at me while I wait for my cousin to return to the ship she's stolen.
"I'll pay you handsomely," the male grates out. "Just let me free and help me take control of my ship once more."
I say nothing. Truth is, I'm irked that Bethiah has a prisoner in her hold and didn't tell me. What if Sophie had come up here? What if this male grabbed at her or made her scared? The thought pisses me off. Worse than that, he now knows my location, so something's going to have to be done about that.
Damn it all, Bethiah knows better than this.
"My name is Jamef sa Raan," the male states. "Guild bounty hunter. I can pay you handsomely—"
I can't help but notice that he's got rough prosthetics himself. Sa Raan is not a strong family name. "Were you on Thresh III?" I ask, nodding at his limbs.
"Two," the male says flatly. "Three years of siege only to end up like this." He gestures at his body, at his bright red cybernetic eye. "But that's in the past."
"So it is." Except I keep trying to leave it there and the universe keeps reminding me of it.
My cousin bounds into the ship, breathless, and then glances over at Jamef. She smirks at him and then leans against the wall, beaming at me. "So, do you think you can fix this old beast up? Disguise her? Maybe strip off the markings?" Bethiah gives me a keen look. "It's got a secondary dark-matter drive as a back-up that you can tear out and keep if you're so interested."
The male in the hold—Jamef—growls low. "You're not stripping my ship."
"No one's talking to you," I mutter, and grab Bethiah by the arm, hauling her away from the caged male. "Cousin, do you want to tell me why you're keeping another bounty hunter captive?"
She leans in toward me. "No."
"Let me rephrase that. You need to tell me why you've got a captive."
Bethiah grins. "It's called flirting."
I bite back a groan. Bethiah has been—and always will be—completely impossible. "Does he know that's what it is?"
"He'll figure it out eventually. So, do you think you can help me disguise this ship?" Her tone is airy and light as she slings an arm around my shoulders. "It'll mean staying here for a few days, but I'm sure you and your friend Softie won't mind—"
"You came here to snoop on us, didn't you?"
"Me?" She feigns incredulity, and then ruins it with a grin. "Maybe. Are you two keffing yet?"
"None of your business." This is why I like living alone. I move out from under her arm and head toward the bridge of the small ship. It's well-kept for all that the owner looks to have parts as low-rent as my own prosthetics. He must sink all his credits into this ship. A secondary dark-matter drive is pricey, and his nav set-up looks to be state-of-the-art. No wonder Bethiah stole this ship instead of just re-selling it to someone else. "What are you going to do with your prisoner?"
"He's playing hard to get right now, and don't change the subject." Bethiah thumps into the seat across from me and leans over the nav panel, her chin resting on her folded arms. "Do you need to know where the human clit is? I can instruct you. Heck, I can even join you two in bed and show you the ropes. I promise not to make it weird."
My cousin volunteering to show me how to pleasure my mate? It's already weird. But she knows that, and it's just more of Bethiah's antics. "Pass, but thanks."
"So you do know where the clit is. Hmm. Very interesting." Her eyes narrow. "This makes me happy, cousin."
If the “clit” is that little bud that Sophie touches when she comes, yeah, I do know where it is and what it does. My neck gets hot at Bethiah's praise. "She's just visiting, don't get your keffing hopes up."
"Just visiting your bed, you mean?"
"No, I mean she's leaving when the va Sithai return."
Her eyes widen. "Oh." Her voice drops in a whisper. "Should I make sure that they don't return? They're friends, but you're family, Jerrok. I can take them out for you."
"Don't take out anyone, Bethiah," I say tiredly. The last thing I want is to destroy people I consider friends simply so Sophie has nowhere else to go. If she wants to stay, it needs to be her choice, not mine, otherwise I'm no better than her first captor. "You can't go around killing everyone that gets in your way."
"Do you even know what a bounty hunter does for a living?" She scoffs. "But fine, you play around with little Softie, diddle each other until they come back…and then what? You're just going to wave goodbye and let them go?"
My mood is growing more sour by the moment. I glare down at the controls in front of me, not seeing them. All I see is Sophie's lovely face, smiling at me. Sophie tucked against my chest as she sleeps, the carinoux sprawled on her other side. Sophie holding tightly to my hand as she comes…
Fierce longing tears through me. "Yeah. I'm gonna let her go."
"Idiot." Bethiah leans back in her chair, crossing her arms over her chest. Her braids clack as she tilts her head. "You don't let people just leave you. You have to take action until they see things your way, like I'm doing with Jamef."
Yeah, that's working out great for her, clearly. I put a hand on the panel in front of me, deciding to focus on what I can control—scrap. "I can remove the dark-matter secondary drive and replace a few of the newer parts with older ones. A bad paint job, some fake identification, and this ship is pretty much yours. Sound good?"
She beams at me. "Sounds perfect. How long do you think it'll take?"
As much as I'd like to get my cousin out the door so I can have time alone with Sophie again, the dark-matter drive is enticing. It could bring in a lot of credits…maybe enough to get Sophie the carinoux for keeps. She loves the creature, and it loves her…and it keeps her safe. If she has to leave my side, at least she would do it with a protector. "Give me a few days."
"Am I going to interrupt private time?" Bethiah asks lightly.
"Not at all, because you're going to be staying on your ship with your prisoner."
She mock-pouts. "But we both know Softie isn't using her bed."
"The carinoux might not like you invading it."
"Hmm, excellent point." Bethiah tilts her head, regarding me. "Well, I appreciate the favor, cousin. If you need anything from me, just ask."
"Actually…" I hesitate. "If you happen to run across any human artifacts, I'll pay you for them. And seeds. Flower seeds. For the terrarium."
"Didn't realize you were into gardening."
"I'm not." My neck gets hot again when she titters. "Just…I'll pay you, all right?"
"I'll see what I can do." She pats my arm and gets up. "I'm going to go bother Jamef some more. You need help with anything?"
There's nothing left to do but get started…well, and let Sophie know that we'll be forced to tolerate my cousin for a few more days. "I'm good." I head off the ship, automatically seeking out my human. Not yours, I remind myself. Your guest. She belongs to herself. Still, I like to dream…
Sophie is in my quarters, curled up in my bed, her book in her hands. She looks over at me and there's a concerned expression on her face. "Jerrok, we need to talk." She sets down her book and sits up. "About Bethiah—"
"She's staying for a few days while I fix up h
er ship," I interrupt. "I hope that's all right."
Sophie gets to her feet and moves toward me. She licks her lips and puts a hand on my chest, as if she needs to touch me. "She…I…she knows we're sleeping in the same bed together. She smelled my pillow."
Immediately, I'm angry at my cousin. Clearly she's made Sophie feel uncomfortable. "She doesn't know anything," I say firmly. "Don't let her bully you into—"
"It's okay," Sophie says softly and pats my chest again. "I'm okay with that. It just means…I'm sleeping with you tonight. Is that okay? She can stay in my bed since I won't be using it."
She looks up at me with such big, earnest eyes, and I realize that this is a big step for her, just like it is for me. It's as if she's marking me as her territory, and I stand a little prouder at the realization. "If you like."
"I do," Sophie whispers, giving me a shy smile. She reaches up and lightly touches the back of my neck, and I automatically lean down. As I do, she presses her lips to mine again—and then licks me with her tongue. "I'm going to show you how to really kiss later tonight."
I stare down at her, dumbfounded. "You mean we've been doing it wrong all this time?"
She just giggles.
48
SOPHIE
Having Bethiah around is…kind of annoying. I know she's Jerrok's cousin and he's close to her, but man, she does not shut up for five minutes. I'd forgotten just how grating her personality can be, since it's been months since she flew with the va Sithai on the Little Sister. She's nice enough, but she's also a lot. She has a story for everything, and because of that, she never stops talking. She talks through the afternoon as Jerrok works on transforming the exterior of her “borrowed” ship. I put on work clothes and tear away at the scrap backlog from the other pirate ship. I've worked with Jerrok enough that I know a lot of what to look for, and he shoots me appreciative looks when I start working.
I like helping him out. It makes me feel like we're a team. Like he can count on me.
And because I'm working in a separate area of the hangar bay, I don't have to listen to Bethiah's stories about the last bounty run she did, or the convicts she dragged back to the prison planet and cashed in on. I can let my mind wander and think about Jerrok.
I think about tonight.
I'm really going to kiss him. It's been a long time since I've truly kissed someone with tongue. I've had to kiss the occasional alien back in the day—or an alien's human pet—for their amusement at our “disgusting” human traditions. Those don't count, though. They weren't to share a special moment, to be intimate with someone. No one looked at me with such intense yearning and longing as Jerrok did when he asked to kiss me back.
He won't find it gross, I suspect.
I…wonder if he'll call me a good girl if I let him touch me. The thought makes me shiver all over, my nipples getting hard. I never knew I liked hearing something like that, but it's the way Jerrok says it, all warm, sultry praise, as if I'm being the bravest, sexiest creature alive just for touching myself. I press my thighs together at the thought, imagining him telling me what a good girl I am as he slides his hand between my thighs.
Oh fuck. I like that idea too, too much. I bite back a whimper and pull apart a cluster of wires.
I keep thinking about that idea all through dinner, as Bethiah continues to dominate the conversation. I eat my noodles quietly, imagining the look in Jerrok's eyes as he gets into bed with me and finds me wet—because I know I'm wet right now. I've been thinking about touching all day and I'm practically pulsing with need. Jerrok is mostly quiet through dinner, too, letting his cousin carry the conversation and stealing the occasional glance at me. I know what he's thinking—he can't wait for her to leave.
I can't, either. When I first came out here, I couldn't understand how someone could live so remotely, so very alone. Now I understand it and I can't wait for Bethiah to leave. There's a coziness to it being just the two of us here, like we're in our own little safe bubble at the edge of the universe.
Eventually, Bethiah yawns and pushes away from the table, ending her story. "I guess I'd better go torment my prisoner for a bit before I feed him."
"Torment?" I ask, worried. "Are you torturing him?" I knew Bethiah sometimes did unsavory things for her job, but I didn't think…
The bounty hunter only grins. "Singing. He loooooves my singing."
Jerrok snorts. "You mean croaking."
"You hush."
I get to my feet. "I'll go put fresh blankets on my bed." It'll give me a moment to compose myself, even if I'm practically trembling with anticipation. "Will you feed Sleipnir for me, Jerrok?"
"On it," he says.
I head down the hall, pulling fresh blankets out of the cleanser unit in the wall and heading toward my old room. When I go through the doorway, though, I see Bethiah casually seated on the edge of the bed, smirking at me. "You can save the blankets, precious. I'm gonna sleep on my ship. Poor Jamef gets lonely if I wander too far away."
"Oh. All right, then." I hug the blankets to my chest. "Do you need anything?"
"That's so cute. You act like you already live here." She gets to her feet and saunters over to me, grinning. "I know I said some harsh things earlier—"
"You threatened to rip me apart limb from limb."
"—And I meant it." She puts her hands on my shoulders and beams. "I will. But I also want to tell you to be good to my cousin. I know he acts all gruff and mean, but he's a fragile soul. Always has been."
That makes me scowl. "He's not fragile. He's the strongest person I know."
"Mmm. Interesting." She taps a finger on the tip of my nose. "I like that you defend him."
Why wouldn't I? He deserves to have someone stick up for him. I know he can take care of himself, but this universe has shit on him enough. Of course I feel protective of him. I have feelings for him. "I'm just saying. He's had to put up with a lot."
"Mmm, so he has. Just reiterating my warning." She pats my shoulder and then walks away.
I think for a moment and then call out. "Hey, Bethiah?" When she turns around, I plunge on ahead. "You know more about things than I do. How much do new prosthetics cost? For Jerrok? His are constantly on the verge of malfunctioning." I think about the way he grimaces in the morning, about how the circuits twitch and jump sometimes, about how he limps heavily. He lives in pain daily and I want to take that away from him. I know it might not be possible to eliminate it all, but surely new limbs could help.
"Too much," Bethiah says flatly, and then tilts her head thoughtfully. "Unless you want me to pry them off Jamef—"
"No, not like that." God, Jamef's prosthetics are not much of a step up at all. "You know what I mean. On the black market." I wave a hand. "Ask around and see who's selling."
Bethiah studies me. "I'll keep an eye out. He's never said anything, though."
"Why would he? He's proud." How many times have I offered to help him out only for him to snap at me when he's in obvious pain? He doesn't like to feel like he's weak or not in control…and I get that.
"Huh." The bounty hunter purses her mouth. "Guess that makes me a shitty cousin." Her eyes narrow. "You could see that pet of yours. He'd probably pay for everything and then some."
My heart clenches. The thought has crossed my mind—that Sleipnir, no matter how much I adore him, is worth an absolute fortune. I can't sell him, though. He deserves to live somewhere where he's loved and showered with affection and has as much freedom as possible. "He's not mine to sell," I say lightly.
I hate that I've thought about it, though. It feels traitorous. I wouldn't do it—just like Jerrok hasn't turned around and sold me to make some quick cash. There are boundaries, and I'm not so far over them that I'd destroy another living creature's happiness for my own.
The tricky part is that it's Jerrok, and I'm starting to feel like I'd do a great many things for his happiness. I killed a man for him, didn't I? And I didn't even think twice about it.
I smile politely at B
ethiah as I set the blankets down at the foot of the bed and head toward Jerrok's quarters-slash-personal-workspace. He's not around, probably still feeding the carinoux. I change into my nightclothes and comb my hair out, sitting on the edge of the bed and waiting nervously for him.
Because it's time for kisses.
49
JERROK
I groan as I return to my quarters and smell the scent of Sophie's need. Most of the time, her perfume is subtle, only enveloping my senses when I stand close to her. Tonight, though, her perfume seems to be everywhere.
She sits on the edge of the bed, her legs crossed as she rubs her calf and looks restless. Her eyes have that glassy, distracted look in them that tell me she is thinking about touching herself. I love that look on her face. I love that she's so enthusiastically reclaimed her body despite her fears. I love watching her fall apart in my arms as she clings to me.
And I can't wait for the day that she invites me to touch her.
Her gaze locks on me as I shut the door, her lips curving into a little smile. "Bethiah said she's sleeping on her ship."
"Good." I almost wish she'd take off with it, too. I don't like that she's brought a stranger on board, but my cousin can handle herself. It's more that she's around when I really want to just spend all this time alone with Sophie. It's like Bethiah knows what I'm thinking and has made it her personal goal to talk my ear off and keep us apart. "I could use a few hours away from her."
"Couldn't we all?" Sophie shifts her legs and then moves back on the bed, a silent invitation for me to join her.
I should go shower. My hands are clean, but I'm sure I did more than my share of sweating today as I worked on the ship that Bethiah is re-naming as The Pleasure Spot. "It's because no male can find it," she guffawed as she smacked me on the shoulder. But Sophie looks so enticing I find myself heading for the bed instead of the lavatory.